Two million attend lantern festival on its first weekendBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterTwo million people visited the Taiwan Lantern Festival in Chiayi County on its first weekend, the organizer said, leading to limited shuttle bus availability and spurring the Tourism Administration yesterday to encourage people to visit on a weekday to avoid overcrowding. People visit the Taiwan Lantern Festival in Chiayi County on Friday. Meanwhile, the Tourism Administration urged visitors to visit the lantern festival on weekdays to avoid the peak crowds typically seen on weekends. This surge in lantern festival visitors has also boosted local tourism and consumer activity, it added. Weekend occupancy rates at hotels and guesthouses near the lantern festival venue — particularly in Chiayi County’s Puzih City (朴子) and Taibao — have reached 95 to 100 percent respectively.

Source: Taipei Times March 09, 2026 17:16 UTC